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A 1-2-3 of Coaching Young Children

1. USE THE 30 SECOND RULE

The 30-second rule works because children learn best by doing, notlistening, and 30 seconds is about as much as most of them cantake. So, with that in mind, let them do as much as possible andlisten as little as possible. After 30 seconds, many of your audiencewill have stopped listening anyway, and very little if any of whatyou go on to say will be heard, let alone understood.Don’t waste your time!

2. WHEN AND HOW TO CORRECT MISTAKES

If a young player is making a mistake, we feel duty bound to do somethingabout it. However, we shouldn’t always step in. Young people learnfrom their mistakes by themselves and from feedback from their peers.They don’t want or need an adult telling them every time they don’t getsomething right, or as good as it should be – they know!You may notice as you start coaching young children that youngsterscan be intimidated by corrections. The action of correcting can becounterproductive in itself, with some players not taking on board whatthey need to change.

There are some things that we must correct. Anything that can harm theplayer or someone else, such as kicking, punching, verbal abuse or anyother sorts of foul play. These are non-negotiable. Do not hesitate to blowthe whistle to stop play and highlight the actions of the offender, so thateveryone is aware of the issue and can learn.Other areas we might correct are discretionary. Technical errors, such astaking the ball behind the head for a throw-in, for example. More difficultmight be decision-making errors such as wrong options. This is problematicbecause there are often a number of options.Most people don’t like criticism or corrections at all, let alone in front ofothers, and children are no different. If at all possible, take the player asideon a one-to-one basis to make a comment. If parents are nearby, you mightfeel it is appropriate to make the point in their presence. One or two wordsmay be enough, but the key is to “talk” and not raise your voice.

3. COACH BY GENTLE QUESTIONING

Research shows that learning comes from self-discovery. This means players realize how to solveproblems and react to situations by finding their own solutions. Coaches should try to reduce theamount of time they spend “telling” the players what to do. Instead, through questioning, they shouldlook to empower their players.

To aid good learning the coach needs to communicate well verbally. The choice of words is often notas important as the way they are told. Remember:• Don’t use jargon or sarcasm.• Promote positive comments.• Backup criticism with a way forward.• Keep sentences short.• Don’t make too many points.• Summarize at the end – some players may not have understood the first time around.

Gentle questioning

Asking questions is useful because it:• Gains the attention of the players.• Lets the coach learn what the players know.• Involves the players in the learning process.• Allows the players to express their opinions.• Helps the coach check for understanding.Asking the best questions• Use open questions – questions that cannot be answered with just “yes” or “no”. Start questionswith words, like “what”, “how” or “where”.• Don’t use “why”, because it can be construed as negative.• Wait for the answer, don’t hurry the player.• Listen, don’t anticipate the answer. Try not to rephrase the answer once given.When to “tell” and when to “question”Tell when:• You have a short period of time to get your point across.• Specific instructions are needed. For instance, health and safety issues or laws of the game.• A larger group makes question and answer sessions unwieldy.Question to:• Check your players’ understanding.• Gain feedback.• Improve your players’ learning.